Today, we got the true Irish experience – rain. After breakfast, we were bussed down to the Salthill Prom (Promenade) along the Galway Bay to an overcast but dry morning. After a short walk, we arrived at the diving platform where about 8 people were in the water swimming. Both the water and the air temperature were about 55 degrees. The Irish are a hearty bunch!
Our next spot was the Galway Cathedral. It was completed in 1965, making it the last great stone cathedral to be built in Europe. Catholics of Boston contributed to the building of the cathedral because of the connection between the cities. Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, led the ceremonies at the dedication of the cathedral. While inside the cathedral, we were treated to the sounds of a Phoenix, AZ choir practice.
In one of the side chapels, there are three mosaics: The large Resurrection mosaic and two small circular ones. The one on the left is Patrick Pearse, a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. The one on the right is John F. Kennedy who was considered the ‘American Dream’ come true and a kind of ‘national hero’ for a generation in Ireland. The 35th president of the US visited Galway on Saturday, June 29, 1963 and spoke to a crowd of nearly 100,000 people. In his speech, he emphasized the connection between the west of Ireland and the United States saying, “If the day were clear enough and if you went down the Bay and you looked west and your sight was good enough, you would see Boston, Massachusetts.”
The Connemara Marble factory was our next stop. We learned that Connemara Marble (far right) is a rare form of marble which is typically greenish in color. It is said to be one of the rarest forms of marble in the world due to its limited supply and dates back over 600 million years. The marble itself is formed when limestone is heated under pressure. The Galway Black Marble, a very dark polished limestone, contains fossil remains in various quantities. It is only half as old as Connemara Marble. The Irish Rose Marble comes from County Cork.
Connemara Marble is frequently made into jewelry because of how hard it is. The fellows below are working on stones to be set into rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.
By noon, we arrived at the compact downtown area of Galway for a walking tour and, unfortunately, so did the rain. We have been so lucky to have had only 2 days when rain has affected our travels. Under umbrellas, we learned about the history of Galway and some of its buildings before scattering into various restaurants for lunch.
One of our fellow travelers, Nancy, became quite enamored with our bus driver, Donnac. At the beginning of our Farewell Dinner, donning her nightgown as a wedding dress, they had a wedding ceremony…all great fun and lots of laughs.
Time to say good bye to our fellow travelers and our bus driver, Donnac and program director, Rory.
Tomorrow morning, we are off very early to the Shannon Airport for our flight home. Ireland has truly been a wonderful adventure.